Global Foreign Policies Review (GFPR)

p- ISSN: 2788-502X e-ISSN: 2788-5038 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gfpr.2023(VI-II).09

Exploring the Global Influence of the United States: A

Brief Insight

Javeria Noor Sawal * Mujeeb Mangal †

Corresponding Author: Javeria Noor Sawal (M.Phil. Qualified, Department of Political Science, Qurtuba
University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan. Email: javeriabashar@gmail.com)

Vol. VI, No. II (Spring 2023) Pages: 87 – 93 DOI: 10.31703/gfpr.2023(VI-II).09

Citation: Sawal, J. N., & Mangal, M. (2023). Exploring the Global Influence of the United States: A Brief
Insight. Global Foreign Policies Review, VI(II), 87-93. https://doi.org/10.31703/gfpr.2023(VI-II).09

Abstract: In the aftermath of WWII, the United States emerged as a predominant global power and exerted
its influence in various domains including politics, economics, and security. This paper provides an overview
of the United States' ascent to global prominence, examining key events such as establishing the Bretton
Woods system, forming international institutions like the United Nations, and implementing the Marshall
Plan. By analyzing these historical milestones, it is aimed to shed light on how the United States shaped the
post-World War II global order. Through a concise and informative lens, this paper explores the far-reaching
impact of American policies, alliances, and cultural exports on the international stage. The significance of
this paper is contributed by the comprehensive understanding of the historical events that propelled the
United States to become the influential power it is today.

Key Words: United States, WWII, Global Influence, American Policies, International
Institutions

Introduction tensions and a continuous confrontation for

global influence. According to the timeline
After the end of World War II, the previous
of events in the Cold War period, several
Multi-polar world order was replaced by a
events during the period took place such as
bipolar system where the US and the Union
the Vietnam War 1955-1975, the Korean War
of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were
1950-1953, the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, the
the two states that emerged as world major
Berlin Blockade 1948-1949, Marshall Plan
powers. Following WWII the two states
1948, and formation of NATO in 1949 and
having two opposite ideologies i.e. USSR
WARSAW Pact in 1955 to contain each
advocating communism and the US
other. Such conflicts and tense events
supporting capitalism led to the
further intensified the Cold War between US
confrontation between the two which was
and the USSR (Valentino & Lebow, 2009).
also referred to as the Cold War era (1945 to
1991). The Cold War, which began following Following, the post-Cold war era the US
WWII, was a period of an indirect war emerged as a global power which is one of
between the US and USSR and their the great realities of our age. Being a global
respective allies, the Western bloc, and the power in military, economics, technology,
Eastern bloc. Thus it was a period of greater western culture, and political contexts the

*
M.Phil, Department of Political Science, Qurtuba University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.
† M.Phil. Scholar, Department of Political Science, Qurtuba University of Science & IT, Peshawar, KP, Pakistan.

US adopted hegemonic designs to influence
the world order. In international politics,
when a state's military, economic and
political powers are enhanced it widens its
foreign policy agenda and interactions in
world politics. The same argument can be
proved correct in the US foreign policy
behavior as claimed by structural realists.
Never before has one state been so powerful
to shape the world order according to its
interests. And thus, became the producer of
the world order. The new world order was
characterized by a Uni-polar system where
the US was the most powerful state of all.
Over the decades, it has fashioned the
distinctive rule-based international order.
What is important to note here is that rather
than having more opponents the US in her
era of Uni-polarity had more supporters
with whom the new world order was built
(Ikenberry, 2005). Most notably are
European and East Asian partners
establishing US-sponsored international
organizations like; World Bank (1944),
International Monetary Fund (1945), World
Trade Organization (1995), and a military
alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) in 1949.
Furthermore, the post-Cold War order
also provided for promoting democracy and
thus provided a foundation for modern
world politics. Following the USSR's
disintegration in 1991 US emerged as a
superpower and has been a hegemonic state
for a long period.
Post-Cold War era at a Glance
Two world wars have been fought in
international history where countries were
divided into two zones. To be specific,
starting from WWII (1939-1945) where the
world was divided into two camps referred
to as Allies including; France, the UK, US
USSR, and to a lesser extent China, whereas
the Axis included; Germany, Japan, and
Italy. Following Germany's defeat in the
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Javeria Noor Sawal and Mujeeb Mangal
WWII and consequently Axis power lose
their strength in war. In the aftermath, the
US emerged as one of great military and
economic power. The multi-polar world
soon begins to change into a bi-polar system
when the US and USSR emerged as the only
two superpowers on the world stage. But
the era of wars didn’t come to an end when
the two superpowers confronted each other
based on having opposite ideologies and
influenced the world on their ideological
stances (Weinberg, 2014).
Following the end of WWII, the world
encountered the cold war (1945-1991). This
indirect war of ideologies between the two
sides produced not only opposition among
the political systems but also the historians
of the era who attributed its causality either
to the US or to the USSR. Thereby, for almost
fifty years the global order was being
restructured by two superpowers as per
diverging ideologies, and national interests.
By the time the global order consisted of
solely two superpowers to drive global
politics. Ergurtuna (2018) writes that the
cold war era during the time brought
continuous tensions and uncertainty to the
international system. Yet it was a period
where bloody regional wars took place
around the globe from Europe to Far East
countries. Thus, it became desirable for
historians to blame any actor for the war's
happenings. In this connection, western
scholars Thomas Bailey and Herbert Feis put
the cold war responsibility for USSR, where
Stalin’s expansionist policies over Eastern
Europe sprung up the cold war. Winston
Churchill in his words about the Soviet’s
approach to the western world says that
“They (the Soviet Officials) fear the
friendship of the West more than its
hostility” (Ergurtuna, 2018).
Besides USSR’s role in the cold war,
some historians such as; W.A. Williams and
Daniel Yergin have a different approach.
According to the Revisionist's view, the US
Global Foreign Policies Review (GFPR)
Exploring the Global Influence of the United States: A Brief Insight
policy of prioritizing an open market system
and democratic norms led the USSR’s
leaders to challenge them. Such a tussle led
to almost fifty years of global unrest.
Unsurprisingly, the war of ideological
supremacy came to an end with the largely
peaceful collapse of communist ideology in
1989 in Eastern Europe, the reunification of
Germany in 1990, and the Soviet
disintegration in 1991 signifying the end of
the cold war period which had dominated
the global system for almost forty-five years.
Yilmaz (2008) discussed the post-Cold
War developments and the emerging world
order of that era where basic trend
characteristics of the international system
and threats in the international system have
been addressed. The end of the Cold War
had dual impacts on the international
system, on one hand, it allowed setting the
trend of promoting democracy at an
international level, and secondly, significant
progress was seen in resolving conflicts that
had been prolonged during the Cold War.
Thirdly, interstate conflicts among eastern
and western countries decreased to a great
extent. Fourthly, the nature of the Cold War
is indirect, and no use of armaments, but to
dominate each other through various tactics
and policies. Such strategies led to
disarmament and a decrease in defense
budgets., on the other side, the Cold War's
impacts contributed to several unpleasant
events as well; including, the emergence of
conflicts in the USSR like; the war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of
Nagorno-Karabakh and fighting in
Chechnya. Such conflicts not only occurred
in the countries but also took place in
different parts of the world where
superpowers had been involved for
instance; the Former USSR invasion of
Afghanistan (1979) and the US-led war on
terror (2001).
Summing up the post-Cold War era it is
of utmost significance to highlight the global
Vol. VI, No. II (Spring 2023)
order where the bi-polar system
disappeared and reshaped into Unipolarity
under the supremacy of the US. Speaking in
military and political contexts the American
Empire soon attempted to operate in the
Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Middle Eastern
regions and deployed its forces at bases to
establish a semi-permanent foothold to keep
an eye on Syria, Iran, and other potential
enemies to the US. As discussed earlier in
the US-led world order several
developments took place under the
leadership of the US.
American-Driven Global Order
The US emerged following the end of the
Cold war era as the world’s only
superpower. The global order structured as
a Uni-polar world where the US economic,
military, and technological power grew
faster than European Union and Japan,
where all other countries like China and
Russia remained as to be regional powers.
The US soon adopted the hegemonic
designs and established its new world order
with the agenda to establish international
institutions, promoting its capitalist
ideology and democratic political system. It
was when for the first time in international
history that the world entered into the age of
US Uni-polarity, and an era where the
world’s most powerful state could fearlessly
operate (Ikenberry, 2005). The Uni-polar
order was a moment where the US gained
influence over the world since there was no
other challenging superpower.
Since 1945, the US has pursued its global
interests by creating and maintaining
economic and military international
organizations such as NATO. Moreover, the
US has attempted to create bilateral and
regional security organizations, pacts, and
treaties and adopted liberal political norms
such as ordering mechanisms referred to as
the US-led world order (Cevallos et al.,
2016). In this connection US approach to the
89

global world order includes the following
main themes:
1. A rules-based open market system
2. Creating strong alliances and
sufficient military capabilities for
deterrence
3. Multi-lateral cooperation among
countries and international law for the
solution of international problems
(such as; non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction)
4. Promotion of democracy
According to Oezel, (2015) after the Soviet’s
disintegration, the US experienced her sole
power and became a global policeman. It
was the only leading country in the world
that could impose its own will on other
countries and could fulfill its interests by
any means. The US soon gained the title of
“Super Power” and attempted to establish
its international organizations to dominate
the world in one way or the other. Thereby,
US international influence includes;
 Founding member of the United
Nations (1945)
 US is one of the (P5) five permanent
members of the Security Council
along with the UK, Russia, China, and
France.
 Founder of North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). Which is a
military alliance founded in 1949 to
contain USSR. But is still actively
working with its 30 member
countries.
 Sponsoring/funding as a dominant
member of international
organizations like; IMF, World Bank,
WTO, and trailblazer of Bretton
Woods System
 One of the influential members of G8
and G20 countries to develop closer
economic ties for expansion in trade
and development and crisis
management.
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Javeria Noor Sawal and Mujeeb Mangal
In short, the US is the leading country in
international organizations, which shows its
significance in many areas ranging from
economic to political scenarios of the world.
Apart from US hegemony, it is important to
note that in the world of power politics,
Countries are in a continuous struggle to
dominate one another on the world stage,
and therefore no state of the world remains
as hegemon sole for a decade or two such as
the US. For this, history is witness to the fact
that the 9/11 attacks however revealed the
US vulnerability. The subsequent reactions
to the 9/11 attacks put the US Uni-polar
world order and hegemony at risk.
Although in the present time it is still a
powerful state, on the other hand, such
attacks put US hegemony in question of how
it is possible to destroy the US World Trade
Center and Pentagon leading to numerous
causalities, economic hits, and much more.
Adding to this, theorists like Robert Cox also
believe that the world order may change in
the coming future and expressed his views
in the words “My hope is for a more plural
world” (Schouten, 2009). Many regional
powers are emerging as major economies of
the world and are a threat to US hegemony.
The assumptions include that the world in
the coming future will become multi-polar
and that a new world order is yet to be built.
In this connection, the rise of Brazil, Russia,
India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) is of
great significance (Oezel, 2015). Despite, the
potency of BRICS countries it is found that
BRICS is not in a position to mount the
international efforts to cope with the crisis at
a larger scale. Given that, several factors
contribute to the vulnerability of BRICS
(Jash, 2017). This might be a matter of
concern for the global community how the
trends of multilateralism will work out,
especially in such a global order where the
US is a dominant member. Moreover, it is
found that in the post-World War II era,
multilateralism has widely been American-
Global Foreign Policies Review (GFPR)
Exploring the Global Influence of the United States: A Brief Insight
centric, and presently countries like BRICS
started to question this arrangement to
cement their position in the changing world
order. It is argued that since the BRICS
emergence the US hegemony has been
remarkably declining but this may prove as
a lofty goal for BRICS (Ikenberry, 2005). The
collective effort of member countries to curb
the US hegemony needs a series of
requirements including convergence in the
foreign policy preferences, well-defended
ideological and political unification, and a
clear vision for a multilateral world order of
member countries. However, the internal
split and the divergence of interests imply
that the BRICS group does not look
optimistic about recording a high score
comprehensively (Willy, 2018).
Global Position of the US Economy
and A Way Forward
The United States has long been seen as the
world's strongest economy and a major
global influencer. However, there are
discussions about China's potential rise as a
superpower. The US's status as a hegemon
is influenced by factors like its stable
economic growth, representation in
international organizations, and impact on
global events. This impact can be seen in
countries like the Czech Republic, where the
"Americanization" of society is often
mentioned. The US trade flows, particularly
imports, have a significant impact on
domestic producers. These imports give the
US economy control over the
competitiveness of domestic businesses.
From the early 19th century to the 1910s, the
United States primarily exported
agricultural products to Europe (Davis &
Hernandez, 2019). This was due to the
expansion of agricultural land and the
decrease in transportation costs, which led
to an increase in exports and even
influenced migration from Europe. The
global market's size and openness allowed
Vol. VI, No. II (Spring 2023)
the US to capitalize on its comparative
advantages, leading to a higher demand for
American agricultural exports. From 1909 to
1970, the US economy experienced
substantial growth in the manufacturing
sector, making it highly competitive. The
period from 1958 to 1980 witnessed a
significant expansion of economic
competition (Shepherd, 1982). When
examining the US’s recent history, it can be
observed that international trade played a
significant role in European economies,
contributing a substantial part to their GDP.
However, this was not initially the case for
the US economy due to the size of its
domestic market. Looking at the long-term
perspective, the US economy remains stable
and continues to grow. It is recognized that
investing in inventory, particularly durable
goods, can help reduce economic volatility.
Additionally, technology investments are
crucial for sustained economic growth and
competitiveness. This is exemplified by
China's significant investments in science
and research, coming close to the United
States investment in recent years. By
considering factors beyond performance
statistics, such as power dynamics and
politics, we can gain a broader
understanding of how the global economy
functions and the distribution of authority
within it (Strange & Smith, 1998). It is
important to note that political authority
does not always align with territorial
borders where sovereign jurisdiction is
exercised. Since 1989, the Czech Republic
has embraced an open economy, benefiting
from international exchange and
comparative advantages. When it comes to
protectionism versus free trade, it has been
found that the costs of protectionism usually
outweigh the benefits and are generally not
profitable for the economy. The level of
protectionism in global trade is closely tied
to barriers to foreign trade, which, especially
when supported by political consensus, play
91

a crucial role in determining trade policies
and their level of openness. Despite efforts
to reduce barriers, such as tariffs, non-tariff
barriers have actually increased for many
countries and products between 1997 and
2015, indicating a persistence of
protectionist measures (Niu, 2018). The US
economy has long been a dominant force in
the global arena. With its robust GDP,
technological advancements, and highly
skilled workforce, the US has played a
pivotal role in shaping the global economic
landscape. Its influence can be seen in
various sectors such as finance, technology,
and innovation.
However, the US economy also faces
challenges. Income inequality remains a
pressing issue, with a significant wealth gap
between the rich and the poor. Additionally,
trade imbalances and protectionist policies
have led to tensions with other countries,
affecting global trade dynamics. To
strengthen the global position of the US
economy, a way forward involves several
key strategies. First, addressing income
inequality through policies that promote
equitable wealth distribution, such as
progressive taxation and social welfare
programs, can help create a more inclusive
economy. Second, fostering innovation and
investing in research and development can
enhance the US economy's competitiveness.
This can be achieved through increased
funding for scientific research, incentivizing
entrepreneurship, and supporting emerging
industries. Third, promoting international
cooperation and free trade can create
opportunities for economic growth.
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Javeria Noor Sawal and Mujeeb Mangal
Collaborative efforts to reduce trade
barriers, negotiate fair trade agreements,
and resolve disputes can help restore trust
and stability in global markets. Lastly,
investing in education and workforce
development is crucial. By equipping
individuals with the skills needed for the
jobs of the future, the US can maintain its
competitive edge and ensure sustainable
economic growth (Abboushi, 2010).
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have explored the
profound influence of the United States on
the global stage, examining its impact across
political, economic, and cultural realms
since the post-WWII era. Through an
analysis of major developments as a
hegemonic power, we have gained insights
into the United States' role in shaping
international relations and global norms.
However, it is important to acknowledge the
challenges and threats that the United States
faces in maintaining its supremacy,
including emerging powers, geopolitical
shifts, and economic competition. Looking
ahead, it is crucial for the United States to
navigate these complexities by adapting to
new power dynamics, engaging in
diplomacy, fostering international
cooperation, and addressing domestic
challenges. However, by addressing income
inequality, fostering innovation, promoting
international cooperation, and investing in
education, the US can strengthen its global
position, by doing so, the United States can
continue to play a significant role in shaping
the global landscape.
Global Foreign Policies Review (GFPR)
Exploring the Global Influence of the United States: A Brief Insight

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